Hair styling iron

ABSTRACT

A hair styling iron A is provided comprising: a body  1  which includes a grip portion  4,  a plate portion  6  including a heater H and a plate  8,  and a fulcrum portion  5;  and a sandwiching member  2  which includes a lever portion  15  opposed to said grip portion  4,  a plate portion  17  equipped with a heater H and a plate  18  and opposed to the plate portion  6  of the body  1,  and a fulcrum portion  16  located between the lever portion  15  and the plate portion  17  and pivotally supported by the fulcrum portion  16  of the body  1.  Between the rearward portions of the fulcrum portions of the body  1  and the sandwiching member  2  is interposed a spring  12  which biases the plate portions  6  and  17  normally in the direction away from each other. Each of the plate portions  6  and  17  is provided with ridges  14  along the perimeter, and has been subjected to a flocking treatment from its perimeter to the outer surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hair styling iron, and morespecifically to a hair styling iron used for giving a press treatment inwhich the hair is exposed to heat and pressure.

2. Relating Prior Art

Up to now, for giving straight-perm treatment to the hair, the hair isapplied with a first perming solution and then smoothed down with a combon a plastic plate called a “panel” while stroking the hair with theback of the comb. Alternatively, the hair is smoothed down with a combonly, without the help of a panel. Either of these operations, generallycalled a “strainer operation”, is aimed for providing uniformrearrangement of the cuticle up to the tip of the hair by smoothing downthe hair, thereby giving the hair a glossy smooth surface. The use of apanel, however, causes substantial damage to the hair. On the contrary,the operation, when carried out using a comb only, fails to provideuniform rearrangement of the cuticle, thus suffering from uncertainfinish.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a device that allowsto carry out strainer or the like operations on the hair which isgentler to the hair than the operation employing the aforementionedpanel, and of greater certainty than the operation using a comb only. Afurther objective of the present invention is to provide a hair stylingiron which can be handled with ease even on thick and/or long hair andenables application of sufficient pressures. A still further objectiveof the present invention is to provide a hair styling iron capable ofproviding simultaneous heating and pressing treatment and yet causingless sensation of heat even when touching the heated portion thereof. Astill further objective of the present invention is to provide a hairstyling iron that allows an easy operation even on a confined region ofshort hair such as over the nape (back) or around the ears and yetcauses less sensation of heat when holding its heated portions withfingers, thereby making it possible to carry out a delicate operationwith certainty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The hair styling iron of the present invention is characterized in thatit comprises (A) a first lever including a grip portion, a plate portionequipped with an electric heater, and a fulcrum portion, and (B) asecond lever including another grip portion opposed to the grip portionof the first lever, a plate portion equipped with an electric heater andopposed to the plate portion of the first lever, and a fulcrum portionpivotally supported by the fulcrum portion of the first lever.

In such a type of hair styling iron, a spring is preferably interposedbetween the first and the second levers to render the plate portionsbiased in the direction away from each other. Also, it is preferablethat the plate portion of the first lever and (or) the second lever hasridges along the perimeter thereof, and it is more preferable that theplate portion of the first lever and (or) the second lever has beensubjected to a flocking treatment from the perimeter to the outersurface thereof. Each of the fulcrum portions of the first lever and thesecond lever may be located between the respective grip and plateportions. In this case, the first lever is preferably provided in twoseparate parts divided by a median plane along the both sides, whichthen is assembled and integrally connected after pivotally sandwiching,between the bilateral half bodies of its fulcrum portion, the fulcrumportion of the second lever. It is further more preferable that thepresent hair styling iron is provided with a pilot lamp which blinks atpredetermined intervals while the electric heater thereof is energized.

Furthermore, the fulcrum portions of the first and the second levers maybe located at the rear end of the respective grip portions. In thiscase, it is preferable that a finger resting portion is provided on theouter side of each of the plate portions, with an intervening space forheat insulation being positioned therebetween.

The finger resting portion is preferably made up of a board-like orbar-like element that is continuous at its forward region to the surfaceof the plate portion, and at its rearward region to the grip portion.

In the hair styling iron of the present invention, the plate portionscan be closed toward each other by causing a pivotal motion of the firstand the second levers relative to each other around the fulcrum portionsby gripping the grip portions of the first and second levers. Thetemperature of the plate portions can be elevated by energizing theheaters. Therefore, it is possible, by taking a strand of hair in onehand and then sandwiching it between the plate portions of the hairstyling iron held in the other hand, to apply to the hair an elevatedtemperature as well as an evenly distributed pressure. In addition, bygently stroking the hair with the hair styling iron in this situation, astrainer operation can be performed.

Thus, as the hair styling iron of the present invention enables astrainer operation with simultanoues heating, it allows an effectivestrainer operation even with a perming solution at lower concentrations.Therefore, this is more friendly to the hair than the aforementionedoperation where a strong stroke is applied with a comb and a panel. Thusit damaging hair. Moreover, it provides a more reliable straineroperation than the operation by means of a comb only.

The hair styling iron which is provided with a spring to render theplate portions biased in a direction away from each other, opening andclosing of the plate portions can be effected simply by controlling theamount of the gripping force applied on the grip portions. It is thusalso easy to control the pressure levels. In the hair styling ironprovided with ridges formed along the perimeter of the plate portion,the temperature of the ridges, as cooled by surrounding air, remainslower than that of the other part of the plate portion even while thetemperature of the latter is elevated. Therefore, an inadvertent contactwith the skin would not cause excessive sensation of heat. Further, thehair styling iron which has been subjected to a flocking treatment fromthe perimeter to the outer surface of its plate portion, due to itslowered thermal conduction, will not cause an excessive sensation ofheat when a limited contact with the skin occurs.

In the hair styling iron in which each of the fulcrum portions of thefirst and the second levers is located between the corresponding gripand plate portions, opening and closing of the plate portions iseffected in the same manner as in handling pliers, i.e., by gripping thegrip portion of the first lever with, for example, the thumb and theindex finger and holding the grip portion of the second lever between,for example, the ring finger and the little finger. This type of hairstyling iron is able to generate strong pressures between the plateportions because a sufficiently long distance may be adopted between thegrip and the fulcrum portions.

In the hair styling iron in which the first lever is provided in twoseparate parts divided by a median plane along the both sides, whichparts then is assembled and integrally connected after pivotallysandwiching the fulcrum portion of the second lever between thebilateral halves of its fulcrum portion, it is allowed for the secondlever to be securely held by the first lever. In the type which isprovided with a pilot lamp which blinks at predetermined intervals whilethe electric heaters are energized, it is allowed for the operator toconveniently follow the time lapse in each treatment by simply countingthe blinks while performing thermal press treatment on the sandwichedportion of the hair.

With the hair styling iron in which each of the fulcrum portions islocated at the rear end of the corresponding grip portion, it ispossible to widely open and close the plate portions by slightly openingand closing the grip portions. In addition, as each of the fulcrumportions is located at the rear end, a compact configuration ispossible. In this type of hair styling iron, moreover, when a fingerresting portion is provided on the outer side of each of the plateportions, with an intervening space for heat insulation being positionedtherebetween, less heat is conducted from the plate portion to thefinger resting portion, thereby allowing to firmly close the plateportions using fingers without being disturbed by heat. Also, thisconfiguration enables an easy operation even on a confined region ofshort hair, such as over the nape or around the ears, for it allowshandling with fingers applied in close proximity to the plate portions,i.e. the portions between which a strand of hair is actually sandwiched.

Where the finger resting portion is made up of a board-like or bar-likeelement that is continuous, at its forward region, to the surface of theplate portion and, at its rearward region to the grip portion, it isallowed to readily mold the finger resting portion, plate portion andgrip portion as a unitary part. In addition, as the finger restingportion is supported at its both ends, high flexural rigidity isprovided. Furthermore, the wide surface area of the finger restingportion provides efficient cooling.

Embodiments of the hair styling iron of the present invention aredescribed in greater detail below with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the hairstyling iron of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1 before assembled.

FIG. 3 is an perspective view of the sandwiching member illustrated inFIG. 2 before assembled.

FIG. 4a illustrates a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.2.

FIG. 4b illustrates a rear view of the sandwiching member viewed in thedirection indicated by the arrow head b in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate a partially cross-sectional side view and aplan view, respectively, of the hair styling iron.

FIG. 6 illustrates the hair styling iron being used.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of the hairstyling iron of the present invention.

FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate a plan view and a side view of the hairstyling iron illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the hair styling ironillustrated in FIG. 7 before assembled.

FIG. 10a illustrates a sectional view taken along the line Xa—Xa in FIG.8b.

FIG. 10b illustrates a sectional view taken along the line IXb—IXb inFIG. 7b.

FIG. 10c illustrates a sectional view taken along the line IXc—IXc inFIG. 7b.

FIG. 11a illustrates a sectional view taken along the line XIa—XIa inFIG. 8b.

FIG. 11b illustrates a sectional view taken along the line XIb—XIb inFIG. 8a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The hair styling iron A illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of a body 1,which is also referred to as a first lever, and a sandwiching member 2,which is also referred to as a second lever, pivotally connected to thebody 1. The body 1 includes a grip portion 4, a fulcrum portion 5 whichextends downwardly from the forward end of the grip portion 4, and aplate portion 6 which extends forwardly from the lower end of thefulcrum portion 5. In this embodiment, the body 1 is molded as a pair oflaterally separated half bodies 1a and 1b, as illustrated in FIG. 2.These half bodies then are matched with each other and connected to formthe integral body 1. Plate portion 6 of the body 1 is formed with arectangular recess 7, within which is nested a plate 8 including a plainheater H, with the surface of the plate 8 being exposed. Side walls ofthe recess 7 are formed with grooves 7a, which are brought intoengagement with ridges 8a on both sides of the plate 8, therebypreventing the plate 8 from dislocation. Both the fulcrum portion 5 andthe grip portion 4 are of hollow structure, and through the cavity thusdefined extends an electric cord (see FIG. 5a, reference numeral 25) forenergizing the heater H, via an on-off switch (FIG. 5a, symbol S), andout of the rear end of the grip portion 4.

In addition, rectangular openings 9 and 10 are defined in the front faceof the fulcrum portion 5 and in the region from the rear end of thefulcrum portion 5 to the lower portion of the forward end of the gripportion 4, respectively, to pass the sandwiching member 2 through them.On the inner walls of the fulcrum portion 5, a protruding cylindricalbearing portion 11 is formed for providing pivotal support to thesandwiching member 2, as well as a spring receptacle 13 for receivingthe upper end of a spring 12 is also defined. The spring 12 serves topivotally bias the sandwiching member 2 so that, as illustrated in FIG.5a, the forward end thereof is normally placed in open position. Aroundthe perimeter of the plate portion 6 are formed ridges 14 of asemicircular cross-section. The body 1 may be, for example, a moldedarticle of a heat-resistant plastic. Also, as desired, it may beproduced through die casting of metals such as aluminum or zinc.

On the other hand, the sandwiching member 2 includes a lever portion 15,a fulcrum portion 16 which extends forwardly from the upper portion ofthe forward end of the lever portion 15, and a plate portion 17 whichextends forwardly from the forward end of the fulcrum portion 16. Thelever portion 15, when assembled as illustrated in FIG. 1, is locatedbeneath the grip portion 4 of the body 1. In the sandwiching member 2 ofthis embodiment, plate portion 17 is provided in the form of twobilaterally divided parts. One of the half bodies, 17a, of plate portion17, is molded integral to the forward end of the fulcrum portion 16. Theother half body 17b is matched with and connected to the first half body17a after nesting the separately prepared heater H and the plate 18.Also with the plate portion 17 of the sandwiching member 2, ridges 14are formed around its perimeter. The plate portion 17 is formed with arecess 19 for nesting the plate 18, and side walls of the recess 19 areformed with grooves 20 to be brought into engagement with the ridges 18aof the plate 18 (see FIG. 4b).

The fulcrum portion 16 is of a shape such that the rearward part 16bthereof has undergone a downward translational shift relative to theforward part 16a. As illustrated in FIG. 4b, the forward part 16a is ofa bracket-like shape, which is brought into engagement with and thenconnected, e.g. with bolts, to a support piece 16c extending from therearward portion of the other half body 17b. The rearward part 16b ofthe fulcrum portion 16 is formed with a horizontal bore 21. The bore 21is for accommodation of a pivot pin 22 which serves to pivotally connectthe sandwiching member 2 to the body 1. A vertical blind bore 23 is alsodefined to rearward of the bore 21. The bore 23 is aimed for receivingand holding the lower end of the spring 12.

The lever portion 15 of the sandwiching member 2 is angled in itsmiddle, with the rearward part extending obliquely downwardly. Thisallows secure engagement with the ring finger and the little finger. Asis the case of the body 1, also the sandwiching member 2 may be, forexample, a molded article of a heat-resistant plastic. As desired, itmay also be produced through die casting of metals such as aluminum orzinc.

The plate portions 6 and 17 of the body 1 and the sandwiching member 2,respectively, have been subjected to an electrostatic flocking treatmentfrom the perimeter to the outer surface thereof so as to lessen thesensation of heat when they come into contact with the skin. Flockingtreatment may be carried out by embedding nylon pile fibers verticallyin the surface layer of the plate portions which has been dissolved withnaphtha. In addition, the surface of the plates 8 and 18 has beensubjected to a treatment that serves to reduce friction, e.g. Tefloncoating, thereby allowing easy slide of the hair therebetween. Tefloncoating further improves non-tackiness, heat resistance and erosionresistance.

The body 1 and the sandwiching member 2 thus provided are assembled asfollows: First, the sandwiching member 2 is assembled by nesting theheater 18 within the half body 17a of the plate portion 17 of thesandwiching member 2, and then matching and securing therewith the otherhalf body 17b (see FIG. 3). Preferably, one of the half bodies isprovided with pin-like projections, which are mated with correspondingbores formed in the other half body, in order to assist positioning andreinforce connection (see FIGS. 4a and 4b). As desired, an adhesive maybe applied. Then, the pivot pin 22 is inserted in the bore 21 of thefulcrum portion 16 of the sandwiching member 2. The heater 8 is thennested within the plate portion 6 of the half body 1a of the body 1, thespring 12 is inserted into the bore 23, and then the end of the pivotpin 22 are mated with the bearing portions 11 of the fulcrum portion 5of the body 1. Finally, the other half body 1b of body 1 is integrallyconnected, with the fulcrum portion 16 passing through the openings 9and 10. Thus, the hair styling iron as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 5a and 5bis obtained.

The reference numeral 24 in FIGS. 1 and 5b indicates a pilot lamp orindicator lamp which tells when the heater H is energized. The pilotlamp 24 comprises a light-emitting diode. The pilot lamp 24 operates ineither of the two modes, i.e., a mode in which it is kept ON while theheater H is energized and an ON-OFF mode in which it is turned on (oroff) at predetermined intervals, e.g. once in every second, and it canbe switched between these modes. Where the latter mode is selected, theoperator can readily follow the time lapse while a strand of hair isbeing press-treated. The reference numeral 25 in FIG. 5a indicates anelectric cord, the end of which is connected with a plug, and in themiddle of which is provided with a controller including a temperatureadjustment dial. A temperature sensor is provided on or in closeproximity to the heater H. The system is arranged so that the heater His kept at a temperature selected with the temperature adjustment dialthrough the regulation of the current (or voltage) applied to the heaterH based on the output from the sensor and by means of the controllerincluding the temperature adjustment dial and a controller circuit. Thetemperature adjustment dial is, for example, a volume dial that allowsto select a desired temperature within the range of 60-180° C. For atemperature frequently selected, the dial is provided with a detentmechanism which temporarily locks the dial with a snapping sensation soas to prevent the dial from drifting. A blink control circuit for theaforementioned pilot lamp 24 is also included in the controller.

The thus assembled hair styling iron A is used as exemplified in FIG. 6.That is, the hair styling iron A is held, with, for example, the thumband the index finger, with the grip portion 4 of the body 1 facingupward, a strand of hair P sliced with the left hand is placed betweenthe plate portions, and then pressure is applied by pulling the leverwith, for example, the ring and the small fingers. In this manner, apress-treatment is performed in which the hair is subjected to apressure while being simultaneously heated at an appropriatetemperature. The time lapse during the press treatment, e.g. a span ofseveral seconds, can readily be followed based on the blinking of thepilot lamp 24. In addition, a strainer operation can be carried out bysliding the plate portions toward the tip of the hair, with the strandof hair B being lightly sandwiched therebetween. For this purpose, aslice of 1-3 cm wide is proper. While sliding the hair styling iron A,tension is preferably applied to the strand of hair P by lightly pullingit downwardly with the left hand.

With the above hair styling iron A, as heat and pressure can be appliedto the hair sandwiched between the plate portions 6 and 17 of the body 1and the sandwiching member 2, a partially curled area of the hair couldbe corrected with ease. In addition, as a heater is included in each ofthe plate portions 6 and 17 of the body 1 and the sandwiching member 2,a simultaneous and uniform heating is effected on both sides of thesandwiched strand of hair P. Furthermore, as the plate portions 6 and 17of the body 1 and the sandwiching member 2 are biased to open by meansof the spring 12, easy control of pressure is available. Still further,each of the plate portions 6 and 17 of the hair styling iron A has beensubjected to an electrostatic flocking treatment on its outer surface(i. e. the surface opposite to the side nesting the heater H and theplate 8 or 18) and perimeter, and the ridges 14 are provided on each ofthe perimeters of the plate portions 6 and 17. Thus, an inadvertenttouch on the skin with the outer surface or perimeter of the plateportions 6 or 17 would not cause excessive sensation of heat.

A description is given below to a procedure of carrying out a straightperm operation using the hair styling iron A:

To begin with, a first solution for straight-perming is applied to thehair, and the hair is allowed to stand for a while so as to assure thefirst solution sufficiently soaking into the hair, thus reducing andsoftening the hair with the solution. Then after conducting a softeningtest to confirm that a desired level of softening is reached, the hairis subjected to an intermediate washing with water to wash away theagent adsorbed on the hair. Then, after removing excess water from thehair, the aforementioned strainer treatment is started (2-3 straineroperations for a single slice of hair). A second solution is thenapplied to the hair, and the hair is allowed to stand, while keeping itextended straight, for effecting oxidation and thereby restoration ofelasticity of the hair with the second solution to completestraight-perming.

In this straight-perming treatment, a strainer operation is performedprimarily for evenly rearranging cuticle to the tip of the hair, therebygiving the hair a glossy smooth surface.

While in the above embodiment, the sandwiching member 2 is passedthrough the openings 9 and 10 formed in the body 1, a configuration isalso allowed in which a sandwiching member and a body are simply crossedagainst each other and connected with a pivot pin, as in the mannerknown for usual scissors.

A hair styling iron B illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a firstlever 26 and a second lever 27, the latter being pivotally connected atits rear portion with the rear portion of the former. The first lever 26includes a grip portion 4 located in the middle of its length, a fulcrumportion 5 located in the rear, and a plate portion 6 located in theforward portion. In this embodiment, the second lever 27 is of the sameconfiguration as the first lever. Therefore, the following descriptionis given primarily with regard to the first lever 26. Herein, symbol Hindicates a heater, SW in FIG. 8b a switch for on-off of the powersupply to the heater H, and reference numeral 24 a pilot lamp forindicating on-off of the heater H.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, also in this embodiment, the body of the firstlever 26 is molded as two laterally divided hollow half bodies 26a and26b of a heat-resistant plastic or the like, which are then matched andconnected with each other to form a single integral hollow body as shownwith regard to the second lever 27. In this embodiment, the right halfbody 26a of the first lever 26 and the left half body 27a of the secondlever 27 are of the same shape, and so are the left half body 26b of thefirst lever 26 and the right half body 27b of the second lever 27.

The plate portion 6, as in the hair styling iron A aforementioned, hasflat and generally rectangular configuration, the inner side (the sideopposed to the second lever 27) of which is formed with a rectangularrecess 7, within which a plate 8 containing a plain heater H is nested,with its outer surface being exposed. The plate 8 is made of a thinmetal sheet. As illustrated in FIGS. 10a and 10b, side walls of therecess 7 are formed with grooves 7a, which are brought into engagementwith the ridges 8a on both sides of the plate 8, thereby preventing theplate 8 from dislocation. A space 30 is defined between the upper faceof the heater H and the upper wall 29 of the plate portion 6. Therefore,the heater H and the plate 8 are in contact with the first lever 26 onlythrough their lateral perimeters. This hinders conduction of heat to thefirst lever 26.

The grip portion 4 is narrower in width than and somewhat elevatedcompared with the plate portion 6. As FIG. 8b clearly illustrates, aboard-like finger resting portion 31 extends from around the forward endof the grip portion 4 toward the middle of the plate portion 6. Theupper face of the finger resting portion 31 is flush with the upper faceof the grip portion 4, and a transverse through slit 32 is definedbetween the plate portion 6 and the finger resting portion 31 (see FIG.10b). The slit 32 continues from around the forward end of the fingerresting portion 31 to the middle of the grip portion 4. Thus, fingerresting portion 31 is continuous to the plate portion 6 only at itsforward end 33. The slit 32 is provided to hinder conduction of heatfrom the plate portion 6 to the finger resting portion 31.Alternatively, the finger resting portion 31 may be configured such thatit is spaced away at its forward end 33 from the plate portion 6, thusforming the former as a cantilever. In addition, the slit 32 may befilled with foamed plastic with high heat insulation. The “space”recited in the attached claims is meant to include such an embodiment.Furthermore, the slit 32 may be laterally closed. In such a case, thespace (“slit”) within the finger resting portion 31 is provided as anisolate heat insulation space separated with a plate from the interiorof the plate portion 6.

As FIG. 10c illustrates, the grip portion 4 also is of a hollowstructure, and its both sides are formed with slanted surfaces 34 in itslower portion, with the width of the grip portion 4 decreasingdownwardly. These slanted surfaces 34 provide escapes which help avoidpinching the palm of the hand holding the grip portion 4 while the firstlever 26 and the second lever 27 are being closed toward each other. SWshown in phantom lines in FIG. 10c indicates the switch asaforementioned.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the fulcrum portion 5 of the first lever 26includes a generally hemicylindrical blind bearing portion 36 providedon the right half body 26a, and a generally hemicylindrical shaftportion 37 provided on the left half body 26b. The bearing portion 36 isgiven a central angle smaller than 180° (e.g. 173.5°) by half (e.g.6.5°) of the maximal opening angle (e.g. 13°) between the levers. Sinceit is enough for the shaft portion 37 to be allowed a pivotal motionwithin the bearing portion 36 up to a predetermined angle (see FIG.11b), as can be seen in the right half body 27b of the second lever 27,the shaft portion 37 is composed only of an opposing pair of arc-likeelements, with its upper wall being cut out by a predetermined angl.This cutout 37a is utilized to pass through a heater cord Hc and a pilotlamp cord Lc, as illustrated in FIG. 11b. On the base plate of the shaftportion 37 is formed a protruding cylindrical boss 39 in which a springshaft 38 is to be fit (see FIGS. 11a and 11b). The spring shaft 38 iscomposed of a pair of shaft members 38a and 38b which are concentricallyaligned via a gap therebetween and a torsion coil spring 38c which isarranged around the shaft members and secured at its both ends to theshaft members 38a and 38b. On the surface of each of the shaft members38a and 38b is defined a locking groove 40 extending parallel to theaxis, and on the inner surface of each of the bosses 39 is formed alocking ridge 41 for engagement with the locking groove 40 (see FIG.11b).

The inner wall 42a of the rear portion 42 located to rearward of thefulcrum portion 5 of the first lever 26, i.e. the wall opposed to thesecond lever, is angled relative to the grip portion 4 by half of theaforementioned maximal opening angle. Therefore, inner walls 42a of therear portions 42 provide a stopper. In the rear end wall 42b is definedan opening 23 for an electric cord. The upper wall 42c of the rearportion 42 is angled upwardly toward the rear end. This angle serves asan anti-slip configuration to prevent the hair styling iron held by theoperator from slipping off.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, also in this embodiment, the first lever 26and the second lever 27 have been subjected to an electrostatic flockingtreatment on the plate portions 6, the finger resting portions 31 andthe forward part of the grip portions 4.

An example of assembling procedure of the hair styling iron B isdescribed below:

First, one of the shaft members 38a of the spring shaft 38 is fit in theboss 39 of the left half body 26b of the first lever 26, with thelocking ridge 41 being engaged with the locking groove 40. Then, theright half body 27b of the second lever 27 is pivoted by 180° about thepivot axis S with respect to the left half body 26b of the first lever26. In this orientation, the other shaft member 38b of the spring shaft38 is fit in the boss 39, with the locking ridge 41 being engaged withthe locking groove 40. Then, against the biasing force of the torsioncoil spring 38c, the right half body 27b of the second lever 27 ispivoted back by 180° for allowing it to meet the half body 26b of thefirst lever 26. Then, the remaining half bodies 26a and 27a are matedwith corresponding half bodies 26b and 27b, respectively. In thisprocess, positioning is made by placing each bearing portion 36 over thecorresponding shaft portion 37. Thus, the first lever 26 and the secondlever 27, respectively, are integrally assembled.

The heaters H and the plates 8 are inserted into the plate portion 6 ofone of the half bodies either before the start of the assemblingprocedure or just prior to the assembling of the half bodies. The cordHc of the heater H of the first lever 26 has been connected to theoutput terminals of the switch SW and the cord from the input terminalsof the switch SW is directed out of an opening 43 defined in the rear.As illustrated in FIG. 11b, the cord Hc of the heater H of the secondlever 27 extends through a gap 44 between the shaft portion 37 and theboss 39 and is then connected to the output terminals of the switch SWplaced in the first lever 26. In the opening 43 in the rear of thesecond lever 27 is fit by the aforementioned indicator lamp 24, the cordLc of which also extends through the gap 44 between the shaft portion 37and the boss 39 and is then parallel connected to the output terminalsof the switch SW. In the second lever 27, as no switch is contained init, the opening for switch is closed with a closing member.

The lamp 24 and the method for controlling its on-off is the same asdescribed with regard to the hair styling iron A.

In the hair styling iron B thus assembled, each of the first lever 26and the second lever 27 is formed into an integral unit. As the shaftportion 37 of each of the half bodies 26b and 27b is in slidable contactwith the inner surface of the bearing portion 36, the first and thesecond levers are pivotal relative to each other about the pivot axis S.Therefore, the plate portions 8 are brought into abutment against eachother by pinching the both finger resting portions 31 together with thethumb and the index finger while holding the hair styling iron on thegrip portions 4 (see phantom lines in FIG. 8b). With the switch SW puton beforehand, the temperature of the heaters H has been elevated. Thus,press treatment can be carried out, in which the hair is sandwiched andthen pressed between the plates 8 while heating it at an appropriatetemperature. As the plates 8 are biased away from each other by thebiasing force that the torsion coil spring 38c generates, reduction ofgripping force first causes reduction of the pressure and then resultsin the plate portions 8 going apart from each other. This motion ceaseswhen the inner walls 42a of the rear portions 42 abut against eachother.

Also with the hair styling iron B, a strainer operation can be carriedout in the same matter as with the aforementioned hair styling iron A.In addition, as it is made compact, the hair styling iron B is easy tohandle with one hand. Therefore, it allows a relatively easy presstreatment even on a confined region of short hair such as over the napeor around the ears by placing the strand of hair sliced with, forexample, the left hand between the plates 8, and appropriately adjustingthe force applied to the finger resting portions 31 with the thumb andthe index finger while holding the grip portions 4. In such a case, easyoperation is allowed as heat conduction to the finger resting portions31 is hindered by the slit 32 defined between the finger restingportions 31 and the plate portions 6.

In this embodiment, as the first lever 26 and the second lever 27 aregiven the same shape, there is provided an advantage of lowering thecosts of production and maintenance of the metal mold required. However,it is also allowed to adopt other configurations. In the previousembodiment, as the fulcrum portion 5 of the first lever 26 and that ofthe second lever are combined in nesting fashion, a neat outlook isprovided, with the shaft ends or the like being concealed onceassembled. However, it is also allowed that the fulcrum portions aresimply crossed against each other and connected with a pivot pin, in thesame manner as usual scissors. Moreover, it is also allowed that thespring shaft 38 is eliminated and the plate portions are opened withfingers.

1. A hair styling iron comprising: a first lever including a first gripportion, a first plate portion equipped with an electric heater, and afirst fulcrum portion, and a second lever including a second gripportion opposed to said first grip portion, a second plate portionequipped with an electric heater and opposed to said first plate portionof said first lever, and a second fulcrum portion pivotally supported bysaid first fulcrum portion of said first lever, wherein at least one ofsaid first plate portion or said second plate portion has ridges alongsubstantially a full length of three sides of the corresponding plateportion, wherein said first fulcrum portion and said second fulcrumportion are located between a respective grip and plate portion, andwherein said first lever is provided in two separate parts divided by amedian plane, the two separate parts then are assembled and integrallyconnected after pivotally sandwiching said second fulcrum portionbetween bilateral halves of said first fulcrum portion of said firstlever.
 2. The hair styling iron of claim 1, wherein a spring isinterposed between said first lever and said second lever, said springbiasing said first plate portion and said second plate portion in adirection away from each other.
 3. The hair styling iron of claim 1,further comprising a pilot lamp, the pilot lamp having means to blinkthe lamp on and off at predetermined intervals while said electricheater is energized.
 4. The hair styling iron of claim 1, wherein saidfirst fulcrum portion and said second fulcrum portion are located at arear end of a respective grip portion, and a finger resting portion isprovided on an outer side of each of said first plate portion and saidsecond plate portion with an intervening space for heat insulation beingpositioned between each said finger resting portion and a correspondingplate portion.
 5. The hair styling iron of claim 4, wherein said fingerresting portion is a board-like or bar-like element that is continuous,at the forward region thereof, to the surface of said plate portion and,at the rearward region thereof, to said grip portion.
 6. The stylingiron of claim 1, wherein said first plate portion and said second plateportion have ridges.
 7. A hair styling iron comprising: a first leverincluding a first grip portion, a first plate portion equipped with anelectric heater, and a first fulcrum portion, and a second leverincluding a second grip portion opposed to said first grip portion, asecond plate portion equipped with an electric heater and opposed tosaid first plate portion of said first lever, and a second fulcrumportion pivotally supported by abutting against said first fulcrumportion of said first lever to permit the first lever and the secondlever to rotate relative to each other, wherein at least one of saidfirst plate portion or said second plate portion has been subjected to aflocking treatment from a perimeter to an outside surface thereof,wherein a spring is interposed between said first lever and said secondlever, said spring biasing said first plate portion and said secondplate portion in a direction away from each other, and wherein saidfirst fulcrum portion and said second fulcrum are located between arespective grip and plate portion.
 8. The hair styling iron of claim 7,wherein said first lever is provided in two separate parts divided by amedian plane, the two separate parts then being assembled and integrallyconnected after pivotally sandwiching said second fulcrum portionbetween the bilateral halves of said first fulcrum portion of said firstlever.
 9. The hair styling iron of claim 7, further comprising a pilotlamp, the pilot lamp having means to blink the lamp on and off atpredetermined intervals while said electric heater is energized.
 10. Thehair styling iron of claim 7, wherein said first fulcrum portion andsaid second fulcrum portion are located at a rear end of a respectivegrip portion, and a finger resting portion is provided on an outer sideof each of said first plate portion and said second plate portion withan intervening space for heat insulation being positioned between eachsaid finger resting portion and a corresponding plate portion.
 11. Thehair styling iron of claim 10, wherein said finger resting portion is aboard-like or bar-like element that is continuous, at the forward regionthereof, to the surface of said plate portion and, at the rearwardregion thereof, to said grip portion.
 12. The styling iron of claim 7,wherein said first plate portion and said second plate portion have beensubjected to the flocking treatment.
 13. A hair styling iron comprising:a first lever including a first grip portion, a first plate portionequipped with an electric heater, and a first fulcrum portion, and asecond lever including a second grip portion opposed to said first gripportion, a second plate portion equipped with an electric heater andopposed to said first plate portion of said first lever, and a secondfulcrum portion pivotally supported by said first fulcrum portion ofsaid first lever, wherein said first fulcrum portion and said secondfulcrum portion are located at a rear end of a respective grip portion,wherein at least one of said first plate portion or said second plateportion has ridges along substantially a full length of three sides ofthe corresponding plate portion, and a finger resting portion isprovided on an outer side of each of said first grip portion and saidsecond grip portion which extend over an intervening space for heatinsulation positioned between each said finger resting portion and acorresponding plate portion.
 14. The hair styling iron of claim 13,wherein said finger resting portion is a board-like or bar-like elementthat is continuous, at the forward region thereof, to the surface ofsaid plate portion and, at the rearward region thereof, to said gripportion.
 15. The styling iron of claim 13, wherein said first plateportion and said second plate portion have ridges.
 16. A hair stylingiron comprising: a first lever including a first grip portion, a firstplate portion equipped with an electric heater, and a first fulcrumportion, and a second lever including a second grip portion opposed tosaid first grip portion, a second plate portion equipped with anelectric heater and opposed to said first plate portion of said firstlever, and a second fulcrum portion pivotally supported by said firstfulcrum portion of said first lever, wherein at least one of said firstplate portion or said second plate portion has been subjected to aflocking treatment from a perimeter to an outside surface thereof,wherein said first fulcrum portion and said second fulcrum portion arelocated at a rear end of a respective grip portion, and a finger restingportion is provided on an outer side of each of said first grip portionand said second grip portion which extend over an intervening space forheat insulation positioned between each said finger resting portion anda corresponding plate portion.
 17. A hair styling iron of claim 16,wherein said first plate portion and said second plate portion haveridges.
 18. The hair styling iron of claim 17, wherein said fingerresting portion is a board-like or bar-like element that is continuous,at the forward region thereof, to the surface of said plate portion and,at the rearward region thereof, to said grip portion.